Nanoscale Imaging and Characterization

Nanoscale Imaging and Characterization Laboratory

Multifunctional scanning probe microscope (SPM):

This instrument is located in Nanoscale Imaging & Characterization Laboratory under the direction of Nick Wu in the College of Engineering The multifunctional scanning probe microscope (Molecular imaging, PicoSPM ® II) possesses the following capabilities: contact and non-contact mode AFM, force measurement and force array imaging, Acoustic AC mode AFM (tapping mode AFM), Electrostatic force microscopy (EFM), Scanning Kelvin Probe microscopy, Magnetic force microscopy (MFM), Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), current sensing AFM (Conductive AFM), Electrochemical AFM (EC-AFM), AFM-based nanolithography. The universal microscope base permits easy integration with an environmental chamber or an inverted optical microscope. This PSM can be extensively applied to measurement of materials, devices and biological matter.

Optical and Probe Microscopy Facility

This new facility, under the direction of R. Lloyd Carroll, is located in Physics and provides optical and probe microscopic resources to faculty. Capabilities include:

•  Spinning Disk Confocal Microscopy � An inverted epifluorescence system with an integrated high resolution, electron multiplied CCD and image capture system will allow the for the imaging of tagged biomolecular, organic, and inorganic materials, characterization of three dimensional structures on the microscale, rapid imaging of fast processes in microfluidics, and localized spectroscopic characterization (with additions planned for the next year).

•  Force Microscopy � Force microscopy facilitates the study of self-assembled monolayers and biomolecular assemblages on surfaces. In addition, specific techniques using the force microscope allow the characterization of patterning of different materials on the nanoscale, in-situ imaging of self-assembly and nanoscale organization, force spectroscopy of single molecule-molecule interactions, and imaging of magnetic materials on the microscale.

•  Integrated AFM and Inverted Optical Microscopy � Utilizing the two tools together offers unique opportunities in small ensemble manipulation while observing the effects both an optical perspective and with exquisite understanding of the applied forces.